CCF was established in 2008 with a purchase of 2 female Huacaya alpacas; today the CCF herd consist of about 20 to 30 alpacas at any one time. CCF has color variety, fine fleeced alpacas and alpacas with a friendly attitude. The alpaca farm was started as a business on a small acreage to utilize the entire area and to have a variety of opportunities to grow into some of the special areas that the alpaca livestock business has to offer; barns and fencing were added to accommodate these wonderful animals. We are pleased that this business is environmentally friendly.
Our animals today consists of alpacas, a guardian dog and one therapy dog. Our alpacas are all Huacaya except one male Suri.
After discovering how wonderful alpacas could be, we discovered that the alpaca fiber could also be wonderful. We have a variety of yarns and products made from our yarn and fiber. Our handmade clothing consists of hats, scarves, wraps, fingerless gloves, and more. We add new items on an on-going basis. Products are also available for children and home. Our rugs are made by crafters who still practice techniques passed down through the ages.
Check out our Farm Store or make a personal visit to our store site. Store hours are by appointment. Our fiber is sheared once every year. We sort by fiber grade and utilize everything fiber. We work with several specialty mills here in the US to process our fleece into yarns, rugs, and fiber products such as felt or roving. We make sample fleece blends, and from there decide what blends to have the mill make into yarn that will add beauty and enhance the natural colors.
CCF recently purchased an additional farm. We are in the process of improving the pasture and planning to grow our own hay as well as have additional space that will accommodate any growth we may want in the future.
Pictures below from left to right include our g:uardian Maremma Sheepdog, our therapy poodle and our late Great Pyrenees:
Alpacas are a member of the Camelid family. The camelid family consist of Camels, Llamas, and Alpacas. Alpacas are the smallest of the camelid family; they are smart, inquisitive and easy to care for. They are efficient animals and require less room and less food than other livestock. Alpacas can be seen in two different breed types. The breed types are the Huacaya (wah-ki-ah) with the appearance of teddy bear like fleece and the Suri (soo-ree) with a silky drape like fleece with the appearance of draping locks.
It is believed that alpacas first appeared on earth over 30 million years ago and were domesticated more than 5000 years ago. They were found in the South American Andes (Peru, Bolivia and Chile) by the Spanish centuries ago where the local peoples were processing the luxurious fleece. Because the fleece is so fine and luxurious it has been used as currency by previous societies and in some cases clothing made from the fiber was only worn by royalty.
Alpacas were imported into the US beginning in 1980, and the US alpaca owners and breeders formed an association in 1987, today the organization is known as the Alpaca Owners Association (AOA). The AOA national shows are held in different State locations each year. Many affiliate Organizations are available across the US. The local affiliates offer local shows, education, and interest that can be shared. The Alpaca Registry Inc. (ARI) began registering alpacas in 1986 with 608 registered that year, at the last check there have been over 200,000 registered alpacas in the US. Members of the AOA and the ARI merged and both are known as the AOA. The current AOA office is in Nebraska. There approximately 10,000 alpaca farms across the United Stated today.
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